Fluid sterilizer and associated connecting device

ABSTRACT

A sterilizer may include: a first pipe having an inner wall with a light reflecting property; a second pipe disposed in the first pipe so as to pass fluid therethrough and formed of a light transmitting material; and a plurality of UV LEDs arranged on the inner wall of the first pipe and configured to irradiate sterilization UV light onto the fluid.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent document is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/342,961, filed on Nov. 3, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/479,186, filed on Sep. 5, 2014, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,533,896, which claims priorities to, and benefits of, priorKorean application numbers 10-2013-0106872 and 10-2014-0108121 that arefiled on Sep. 5, 2013 and Aug. 20, 2014, respectively, and incorporatesthe above Korean filings by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The technology disclosed in this patent document relates to asterilizer, including a fluid sterilizer and an associated connectingdevice.

Due to the recent concern about water pollution caused by environmentalcontamination, the demand for a water purifier has increased. There arevarious kinds of water purifiers available, such as a natural filtrationwater purifier, a direct-connection filtration water purifier, anion-exchange resin water purifier, a distillation water purifier, areverse osmosis water purifier and others, according to the waterpurification techniques or processes used for water purification.

Recently, there have emerged water purifiers which directly sterilizewater using ultraviolet (UV) light. Many conventional water purifiersusing UV light use an underwater UV light source. Such a conventionalwater purifier, in one example, fills a container with water to besterilized, and turn on a UV light source dipped or submerged in thewater to sterilize the water. The conventional water purifier hasadvantages in that the installation can be completed by dipping orsubmerging the UV light source in the container filled with the water,the equipment can be reduced in size, and the installation cost can besaved. However, the conventional water purifier may require aconsiderable reaction time for irradiating UV light to sterilize water,or may not uniformly sterilize all the water in the container.

One example of such a conventional water purifier using UV light isdisclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2012-0134809 and entitled“Water purifier”.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosed technology are directed to a sterilizercapable of shortening a reaction time and improving sterilizationuniformity in sterilizing a fluid such as water and a connector usingthe same.

In one embodiment, a sterilizer for sterilizing a fluid may include: afirst pipe having an inner wall that reflects ultraviolet (UV) light; asecond pipe disposed in the first pipe to pass a fluid therethrough andformed of a light transmitting material to allow the UV light to enterthe second pipe to illuminate and to sterilize the fluid; and a multiplenumber of UV light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged on the inner wall ofthe first pipe and configured to irradiate sterilization UV light ontothe fluid.

In another embodiment, a sterilizer for sterilizing a liquid mayinclude: a first pipe having a closed end and an opposite, open end; asecond pipe disposed in the first pipe and having a light transmittingproperty to transmit ultraviolet (UV) light; and a multiple number of UVlight sources engaged to and arranged in the first pipe and configuredto provide UV light to a fluid flowing through the inside of the secondpipe or the space between the first and second pipes to causesterilization of the fluid.

In another embodiment, a connector having a function of sterilizing aliquid may include: a first pipe having an inner wall that reflectsultraviolet (UV) light; a multiple number of UV LEDs arranged on theinner wall that produce UV light; a second pipe disposed in the firstpipe to pass a fluid therethrough, and structured to transmit the UVlight from the UV LEDs into an interior of the second pipe to causesterilization of the fluid; and connection parts on both ends of theconnector to connect two external fluid flow pipes to guide the fluidbetween the two external fluid flow pipes.

In another embodiment, a sterilizer for sterilizing a fluid may include:a light-transmitting fluid flow pipe having a side wall that transmitsultraviolet (UV) light to a fluid inside the light-transmitting fluidflow pipe to be sterilized; movable units mounted outside of thelight-transmitting fluid flow pipe; and UV light sources mounted on themovable units to provide UV light for sterilizing the fluid flowingthrough the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe. The movable units mayadjust the distance between the UV light sources on the body part.

In various implementations of the present disclosure, while a fluidflows through the first or second pipe, the fluid may be sterilized bythe UV LEDs. Since the UV LEDs may be reduced in size, they can beeasily installed on the inner wall of the first pipe.

Furthermore, by sterilizing a fluid passing through the pipe, thecovering area of the UV light may be increased. In addition, the UVlight can be provided to the entire fluid by installing a lightreflecting structure. Thus, non-irradiation area to which the UV lightis not reached does not exist in the fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a first embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 1B is a plan view of the sterilizer of FIG. 1A, seen from adirection A.

FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a second embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the sterilizer of FIG. 2A, seen from adirection A.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a third embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example of a connector in accordancewith the fourth embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 6A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a fifth embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the sterilizer of FIG. 6A, takenalong line I-I′.

FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate an example of an arrangement of the UV lightsources of the sterilizer in accordance with the disclosed technology.

FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view of an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a sixth embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the sterilizer of FIG. 8A, takenalong line II-II′.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the disclosed technology will hereinafter be described indetail with reference to implementation examples, including thoseillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that thedrawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggerated in thickness oflines or sizes of components for descriptive convenience and clarityonly.

In describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, when anelement is referred to as being positioned on another element or over,under, and at a side of another element, it may indicate the relativepositional relationship therebetween. Thus, the former element may bedirectly contacted with the latter element, or an additional element maybe interposed at the interface therebetween. Furthermore, when anelement is referred to as being coupled or connected to another element,it may indicate that the former element is directly coupled or connectedto the latter element or an additional element is interposedtherebetween. Throughout the specification, like reference numeralsdenote substantially the same components.

In the present specification, the term “pipe” indicates a kind of tubeor a pipe-shaped structure, and may include a structure capable ofpassing fluid through an internal space thereof. The “pipe” may have across-section formed in a circular shape or polygonal shape.

Furthermore, “beam angle” may indicate an emission angle at which alight intensity corresponding to 50% or more of the maximum lightintensity is obtained, in light emitted from an LED (light emittingdiode) chip forming an LED.

A sterilizer in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosedtechnology includes a first, outer pipe and a second, inner pipe insidethe first pipe, forming a dual pipe structure where the inner wall ofthe first pipe is used to support UV light sources and the second pipeis used to transport the fluid to be sterilized. The sterilizer may havea pipe shape to pass a fluid or a fitting that is shaped to connect apipe to another pipe.

FIG. 1A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a first embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 1Bis a plan view of the sterilizer of FIG. 1A, seen from a direction A.Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the sterilizer 100 includes a first pipe110 as the outer pipe and a second pipe 120 as the inner pipe locatedinside the first pipe. The inner hollow space inside the second pipe 120is used to carry and transport a fluid (such as water) to be sterilizedunder illumination of UV light. The first pipe 110 may include an innerwall having a light reflecting property, thus reflecting light. Forexample, in one implementation, the inner wall of the first pipe 110 maybe coated with a metal having a high reflectance, such as aluminum orsilver. In another implementation, the first pipe 110 may be formed of,or may include, a metal having a high reflectance, such as aluminum orsilver.

The first pipe 110 may include, or be structured to engage to, UV lightsources 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d which may be arranged on theinner wall of the first pipe 110. The UV light sources 112 a, 112 b, 112c, and 112 d emit UV light with a wavelength suitable for sterilization,e.g., in a UV spectral range of about 200 nm to 400 nm. Morespecifically, in some implementations, the UV light sources 112 a, 112b, 112 c, and 112 d may emit UV light with a wavelength of about 200 nmto 290 nm for sterilization. The UV light sources 112 a, 112 b, 112 c,and 112 d are arranged to collectively produce the UV light that fillsthe interior of the second pipe 120 carrying and transporting the fluidto be sterilized and to provide effective illumination forsterilization.

In an embodiment, the UV light sources 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 dmay include UV LEDs. The UV LEDs 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d may bearranged in a zigzag pattern on the inner wall of the first pipe 110 inconsideration of the beam angles of UV beams emitted by the UV LEDs inorder to provide desired UV illumination coverage within thefluid-carrying second pipe 120 for effective sterilization of the fluid.As shown in FIG. 1B, some of the UV LEDs may be arranged on oppositesides of the second pipe 120 and, as shown in FIG. 1A, the UV LEDs maybe spaced from one another along the elongated direction (i.e., X-axisdirection as labeled) while still providing sufficient UV illuminationinside the second pipe 120 for effective sterilization. Referring toFIG. 1A, for example, the UV LED 112 b located on one side of the secondpipe 120 may be positioned within the beam angle α of the light emissionor the output UV beam of the UV LED 112 a located on the opposite sideof the second pipe 120, and, similarly, the UV LED 112 c on the sameside of the second pipe 120 with the UV LED 112 a may be positionedwithin the beam angle β of the light emission of the output UV beam ofthe UV LED 112 b which is, along with the UV LED 112 d, on the oppositeside of the second pipe 120. This arrangement of the UV LEDs wouldensure the UV light beams emitted by the UVLEDs to have some spatialoverlap to fill up the interior space inside the second pipe 120 withoutleaving any space that is not illuminated by the UV light so that thefluid inside the second pipe 120 is fully illuminated by the UV lightfor the sterilization operation. In some implementations, for example,the beam angle α or β may range from about 110° to 140°. FIGS. 1A and 1Billustrate four UV LEDs 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d, but in otherimplementations, the number of UV LEDs arranged along the X-axisdirection corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the first pipe110 is not limited to the illustrated example and can vary depending onthe longitudinal length along the second pipe 120 for desiredsterilization.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the UV LEDs 112 b and 112 d may bearranged on the top inner wall of the first pipe 110 along the X-axisdirection or the longitudinal direction of the first pipe 110, and theUV LEDs 112 b and 112 d may be arranged on the bottom inner wall of thefirst pipe 110 along the X-axis direction. However, otherimplementations are also possible. As long as the UV LEDs 112 a, 112 b,112 c, and 112 d are arranged along the X-axis direction to satisfy theabove-described condition in which one UV LED is positioned within thebeam angle of another UV LED, the UV LEDs 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 dmay be arranged in various manners on the inner wall of the first pipe110.

In the example in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the second pipe 120 is disposedinside the first pipe 110 so as to pass the fluid to be sterilizedthrough the UV illumination section to achieve sterilization. The secondpipe 120 may be formed of a light transmitting material which allows theUV light to transmit through the walls of the second pipe 120 to reachthe fluid inside the second pipe 120 for the sterilization operation.For example, the second pipe 120 may be formed of, or include, a quartzpipe. Thus, UV light generated from the UV light sources 112 a, 112 b,112 c, and 112 d arranged on the inner wall of the first pipe 110 maypenetrate the second pipe 120, and supply the UV light to the fluid. TheUV light irradiated into the second pipe 120 can sterilize the fluid.

Although not illustrated, the sterilizer 100 may include a drivingdevice provided at one end or both ends thereof so as to generate adriving force that causes the fluid to follow through the second pipe120. The driving device may include, for example, a fluid treatmentpump. The driving device may control the flow velocity and rate of thefluid.

As described above, the sterilizer sterilizes the fluid using the UVlight sources by making the fluid flow through the UV illuminatedsection of the second pipe 120. Since the UV LEDs are used as the UVlight sources, the UV light sources may be reduced in size and easilyinstalled on the inner wall of the first pipe 110. In addition, UV LEDsprovide energy efficient UV light production than other UV lightsources.

In accordance with the embodiments of the disclosed technology, sincethe sterilizer sterilizes a fluid by making the fluid pass through thepipe, the sterilizer may be configured to uniformly irradiate UV lighton the fluid. Thus, the sterilizer may prevent the occurrence of anon-irradiation area within the fluid, onto which the UV light is notirradiated, while a non-irradiation area occurs in the conventionalunderwater sterilizers. Furthermore, since the sterilization isperformed in a state where fluid is passed through the pipe, the timerequired for the sterilization may be reduced.

FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a second embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 2Bis a plan view of the sterilizer of FIG. 2A that is seen from adirection A.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the sterilizer 200 may include some substantiallysame structure features as the sterilizer 100 described with referenceto FIGS. 1A and 1B and the sterilizer 200 further includes a lightreflecting structure 214 disposed on the inner wall of the first pipe110 between the respective UV light sources 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112d. Thus, the following description will be focused on the structurefeatures in FIGS. 2A and 2B that are different from the sterilizer 100in FIGS. 1A and 1B in order to avoid duplicate description.

The light reflecting structure 214 may be positioned in the spacebetween the first and second pipes 110 and 120. For example, the lightreflecting structure 214 may be positioned in an area inside the firstpipe 110 that is not occupied by the second pipe 120. The lightreflecting structure 214 reflects the UV light generated from the UVlight sources 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d in cooperation with the UVreflection of the inner wall of the first pipe 110, thereby expandingthe area which is covered by the UV light inside the second pipe 120.The light reflecting structure 214 can reduce a non-irradiated area ofthe UV light, which otherwise may occur in the second pipe 120. FIG. 2Ashows one light reflecting structure 214 as an example and multiplelight reflecting structures 214 can be implemented. For example,referring back to FIG. 1A, a light reflecting structures 214 can beplaced on the top inner wall of the first pipe 110 at a location betweenLED 112 a on the bottom inner wall of the first pipe 110 and LED 112 bon the top inner wall of the first pipe 110. This is what is shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B. Additional light reflecting structures 214 can beplaced on the top and/or bottom inner wall of the first pipe 110. As aspecific example, an additional light reflecting structure 214 can beplaced on the bottom inner wall of the first pipe 110 at a locationbetween LED 112 a on the bottom inner wall of the first pipe 110 and LED112 b on the top inner wall of the first pipe 110, e.g., at a locationopposing the light reflecting structures 214 shown in FIG. 2A. Similaradditional light reflecting structures 214 can be placed on thebottom/top inner wall of the first pipe 110 at locations between LED 112b and LED 112 c, between LED 112 c and LED 112 d.

Such light reflecting structures 214 provide light reflecting structuresor surfaces beyond the light-reflecting surfaces of the inner walls ofthe first pipe 110 to reflect the UV light into the interior of thesecond pipe 120. The light reflecting structures 214 can be structuredand arranged to eliminate a non-irradiation area of the UV light withinthe second pipe that is not illuminated by the UV light, improve the UVillumination uniformity in the second pipe 120 and increase the overallutilization efficiency of the UV light generated by the LEDs.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the light reflecting structure 214 and the UV LEDs112 b and 112 d may be arranged in a line on the top inner wall of thefirst pipe 110 along the X-axis direction, or the light reflectingstructure 214 and the UV LEDs 112 a and 112 c may be arranged in a lineon the bottom inner wall of the first pipe 110 along the X-axisdirection. However, the disclosed technology is not limited to such aconfiguration. The arrangement of the light reflecting structure 214 onthe inner wall of the first pipe 110 may be modified from what is inFIG. 2B in various manners to provide improved UV illumination in thesecond pipe 120 for sterilization operation.

The above examples in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B can be used to direct afluid through a sterilization device by inputting the fluid into thedevice from one end and outputting the sterilized fluid out of thedevice from the opposite end. In other designs, the fluid may bedirected into and out of the device from the same end as shown by anexample in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a third embodiment of the disclosed technology.Referring to FIG. 3, the sterilizer 300 includes a first, outer pipe 310and a second, inner pipe 320 disposed inside the first pipe 310.

In the illustrated example, the first pipe 310 has a closed end 311 atone side of the first pipe 310 and an open end at the other side.Furthermore, the first pipe 310 may include an inner wall having a lightreflecting property to reflect the UV light. The closed end 311 may alsohave a light reflecting property to reflect the UV light. For example,the inner wall and the closed end 311 of the first pipe 310 may becoated with a metal having a high reflectance, such as aluminum orsilver.

In the illustrated example, the inner wall of the first pipe 310includes, or is used to mount or hold, a plurality of UV light sources312 arranged to provide illumination to the second pipe 120. In someimplementations, UV light sources 312 can be configured and arranged insubstantially the same manner as the UV LEDs 112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and112 d described in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

The second pipe 320 is disposed inside the first pipe 310, and has alight transmitting property to allow transmission of the UV lightthrough its walls to provide UV illumination of the interior of thesecond pipe 320. The second pipe 320 may be formed of, or include, forexample, quartz or another suitable optically transmissive or opticallytransparent material to allow the UV light to enter the interior of thesecond pipe 320. As illustrated by the example in FIG. 3, the fluid tobe sterilized is guided into and, flows through, the second pipe 320.The second pipe 320 has two open ends for conducting the fluid with afirst opened end that is used to receive the fluid and is positionedseparately from the closed end 311 of the first pipe 310 (facing theopen end of the first pipe 310). The second open end of the second pipe320 is to direct the received fluid out of the second pipe 310 and ispositioned close to the closed end 311 of the first pipe 310. Due to theabove configuration, the flow direction of the fluid flowing through thesecond pipe 320 is blocked by the closed end 311 of the first pipe 310and thus is switched in direction or is redirected at the closed end 311such that the fluid flows along the opposite direction to flow throughthe space between the first pipe 310 and the second pipe 320. That is,after the fluid reaches at the closed end 311, the fluid turns itsdirection to be opposite and inversely flows in an area inside the firstpipe 310 and outside the second pipe 320. Therefore, the fluid flowsthrough an UV-illuminated section twice in this configuration to receiveadditional UV exposure that would not be available if the first pipe 310does not have the closed end 311. This increased UV exposure can improvethe sterilization operation.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, a driving device may be provided atthe opposite end or side of the closed end 311 to generate a drivingforce that causes the fluid to flow. For example, the driving device mayinclude a fluid treatment pump or a suitable fluid driving mechanism todirect or force the fluid to flow in the direction as illustrated inFIG. 3. The driving device at the opposite end may generate a drivingforce to pass the fluid through the second pipe 310. Alternatively, thedriving device may be provided to generate a driving force that causesthe fluid to flow in the space between the first and second pipes 310and 320 along the X-axis. The driving device may adjust the flowvelocity and rate of the fluid.

In the example in FIG. 3, the fluid, which is sterilized by the UV lightsources 312 while flowing through the second pipe 320, may be sterilizedagain by the UV light sources 312 while returning to the opposite endafter the flow direction of the fluid is switched at the closed end 311.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates another example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosed technology.Referring to FIG. 4, the sterilizer 400 may have substantially the samestructure in terms of the construction of the first, outer pipe 310 andthe second, inner pipe 320 as the sterilizer 300 of FIG. 3 but insidethe second pipe 320 in FIG. 4, two or more inner pipes 322 are placedinside the second pipe 320, which, collectively along with the pipe 320,operate to guide the fluid for UV sterilization.

The sterilizer 400 may sterilize fluid through the UV light sources 312,while the fluid flows through inner pipes 322 and the second pipe 320.Like the second pipe 320, each inner pipe 322 has a light transmittingproperty to transmit the UV light from the UV light sources 312 to enterthe interior of each inner pipe 322 for sterilizing the fluid inside.For example, the inner pipe 322 may be formed of or include quartz or asuitable UV transparent material. In comparison with the device 300 inFIG. 3, each inner pipe 322 in FIG. 4 can be designed to have a smallerpipe size or inner diameter than that of the second pipe 320.Accordingly, with other conditions being equal, as the fluid flowsthrough inner pipes 322, the flow velocity of the fluid inside thesecond pipe 320 may slow down in comparison with the fluid speed insidethe single larger second pipe 320 in FIG. 3, thereby increasing theirradiation time of the UV light per unit volume with respect to theflowing fluid. This increased radiation time can improve thesterilization.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example of a connector in accordancewith the fourth embodiment of the disclosed technology to provide fluidsterilization. Referring to FIG. 5, the connector 500 includes first andsecond ends or connection ports 501 and 502 coupled to fluid flow pipes50 and 52, respectively, to connect the fluid flow pipes 50 and 52 toallow for a fluid to flow through the pipes 520 and 52. The interfacingwith the pipes 50 and 51 at the first and second ends 501 and 502 may besealed by using a suitable sealing mechanism, including, e.g.,publicly-known sealing members, to prevent fluid leak between the fluidflow pipe 50 of the first end 501 and the fluid flow pipe 52 of thesecond end 502.

The connector 500 may include substantially the same components as afluid sterilizer based on the disclosed technology, such as thesterilizer 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B or thesterilizer 200 described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Therefore,the connector 500 can provide fluid sterilization in the fluid that flowbetween pipes 50 and 51.

The connector 500 may include the sterilizer mounted in the connectionparts of the flow fluid pipes 50 and 52, and perform UV sterilization onfluid flowing through the fluid flow pipes 50 and 52.

FIG. 6A schematically illustrates an example of a sterilizer inaccordance with a fifth embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 6Bis a cross-sectional view of the sterilizer of FIG. 6A, taken along lineI-I′.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the sterilizer 600 includes alight-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610, first body parts 622 a, 624 a,622 b, and 624 b surrounding the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610,and UV light sources 640 a and 640 b for irradiating UV light onto thelight-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610 for the sterilization.

The fluid to be sterilized passes through the light-transmitting fluidflow pipe 610 which corresponds to the second pipes 120 and 320 inaforementioned implementations of the present disclosure. Both ends ofthe light-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610 may be connected to an inletpart 650 for receiving the fluid to be sterilized and an outlet part 660for exporting the UV-treated and sterilized fluid, respectively.

The first body parts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b may be arranged tosurround the outside of the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610. Thefirst body parts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b may be coupled to asecond body part 626 for fixing the inlet part 650 and a third body part628 for fixing the outlet part 660. In another implementation, the firstbody parts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b may be integrated with thesecond body part 626 and the third body part 628.

The first body parts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b may be arrangedalong the longitudinal direction of the light-transmitting fluid flowpipe 610, and may be divided into two or more units. Specifically, forexample, FIG. 6A illustrates a first unit 622 a and 624 a and a secondunit 622 b and 624 b as separate units. As described below, movableunits 632 a, 634 a, 632 b, and 634 b coupled to UV light sources 640 aand 640 b are provided and are disposed at a part 622 a and 622 b of thefirst and second units 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b. Such movableunits enable adjustment of positions of the UV light sources in thesterilization operation.

The movable units 632 a, 634 a, 632 b, and 634 b may be coupled to thefirst body part 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b. As illustrated in FIGS.6A and 6B, the movable units 632 a, 634 a, 632 b, and 634 b may includea ring-shaped structure. The UV light sources 640 a and 640 b may bemounted on at least some of the movable units 632 a, 634 a, 632 b, and634 b. For example, in FIG. 6B, the UV light sources 640 a and 640 b areprovided on the movable units 632 a and 632 b. The movable units 632 a,634 a, 632 b, and 634 b may be moved along the longitudinal direction ofthe first body parts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b. Thus, the positionsof the UV light sources 640 a and 640 b coupled to the movable units 632a, 634 a, 632 b, and 634 b may be changed. In the illustratedimplementation, the movable units 632 a, 634 a, 632 b, and 634 b mayinclude a first movable unit 632 a and 634 a and a second movable unit632 b and 634 b. The first movable unit 632 a and 634 a and the secondmovable unit 632 b and 634 b may be separately moved on the first bodyparts 622 a, 624 a, 622 b, and 624 b. As such, the movable units 632 a,634 a, 632 b, and 634 b may adjust the spatial interval between the UVlight sources 640 a and 640 b on the first body parts 622 a, 624 a, 622b, and 624 b.

The UV light sources 640 a and 640 b may emit UV light with a wavelengthof about 200 nm to 400 nm. For example, the UV light sources 640 a and640 b may emit UV light with a wavelength of about 200 to 290 nm. In oneimplementation, the UV light sources 640 a and 640 b may include UVLEDs. The UV light sources 640 a and 640 b may be arranged insubstantially the same manner as the arrangement of the UV light sources112 a, 112 b, 112 c, and 112 d in the sterilizer 100 of FIG. 1A. The UVlight emitted from the UV light sources 640 a and 640 b may sterilizefluid flowing through the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610.

The inlet part 650 may be disposed in the second body part 626 totransfer fluid from outside into the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe610. The inlet part 650 may include a pipe-shaped structure. The fluidflowing through the light-transmitting fluid flow pipe 610 may besterilized by UV light emitted from the UV light sources 112 a, 112 b,112 c, and 112 d. The sterilized fluid may be discharged to the outsidethrough the outlet part 660. The outlet part 660 may be disposed in thethird body part 628, and include a pipe-shaped structure.

FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate the arrangement of the UV light sources of thesterilizer in accordance with one implementation of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the positions of the UVlight sources 640 a and 640 b may be changed according to the movementof the first movable unit 632 a and 634 a and the second movable unit632 b and 634 b. Referring to FIG. 7A, the UV light sources 640 a and640 b may be remote from each other to have a first distance r1 along aX-axis. As the first movable unit 632 a and 634 a and the second movableunit 632 b and 634 b are moved in the opposite directions away from eachother along the X-axis, the distance between the UV light sources 640 aand 640 b may be changed to a second distance r2 of FIG. 7B or a thirddistance r3 of FIG. 7C.

In the case of FIG. 7A, since the distance between the UV light sources640 a and 640 b is relatively small, UV lights emitted from the UV lightsources 640 a and 640 b may overlap each other. Thus, the density of theUV light irradiated onto the fluid may be higher than those in FIGS. 7Band 7C. In the case of FIG. 7C, the sterilization efficiency around theinlet part 650 and the outlet part may become higher as compared toFIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view of a sterilizer in accordancewith one implementation of the present disclosure. FIG. 8B is across-sectional view of the sterilizer of FIG. 8A, which is taken alongline II-II′.

The sterilizer 1000 illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B includessterilization modules that are coupled in series. The sterilizer 1000may include a first sterilization module 700, a second sterilizationmodule 800, and a third sterilization module 900. Each of thesterilization modules 700, 800, and 900 may correspond to the sterilizer600 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. To connect sterilization modules to eachother, a connection pipe may be provided between two serially arrangedconnection modules. For example, between the first and secondsterilization modules 700 and 800 and between the second and thirdsterilization modules 800 and 900, connection pipes 750 may be disposedto connect second pipes 610 of the sterilization modules 700, 800, and900, respectively.

The sterilizer 1000 may include an inlet part 650 for introducing fluidand an outlet part 660 for discharging sterilized fluid. FIG. 8Billustrates the detailed structure of the connection part between thefirst and second sterilization modules 700 and 800. At the connectionpart between the first and second sterilization modules 700 and 800, asecond body part 726 may be disposed to fix the light-transmitting fluidflow pipe 610. An inlet part or outlet part may not be separatelyprovided at the connection part between the first and secondsterilization modules 700 and 800, but other implementations are alsopossible.

FIG. 8A illustrates that the sterilizer 1000 includes threesterilization modules 700, 800, and 900, but other implementations arealso possible on the number of sterilization modules included in thesterilizer 1000. each sterilization module may be formed as describedwith regard to the sterilizer 700 in FIG. 7 and then a plurality ofsterilization modules 700 may be connected in series.

Although examples of various embodiments and implementations, includingpreferred embodiments, of the disclosed technology have been disclosedfor illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions and substitutions are possible.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sterilizer for sterilizing a fluid, comprising:a housing having an inner wall that reflects ultraviolet (UV) light; aninner pipe disposed in the housing and structured to provide a passagefor a fluid to pass through the inner pipe, the inner pipe including alight transmitting material to allow the UV light to enter the innerpipe to illuminate and sterilize the fluid; a first UV light emittingdiode (LED) and a second UV LED that are arranged on the inner wall ofthe housing and configured to irradiate sterilization UV light onto thefluid, wherein the first and the second UV LEDs are arranged in a zigzagpattern on different sides of the inner wall of the housing; and a lightreflecting structure disposed on the inner wall of the housingpositioned to reflect the UV light so as to prevent occurrence of anon-irradiation area of the UV light within the inner pipe, and whereinone of the first and the second UV LEDs is positioned within a beamangle of UV light emitted by the other of the first and the second UVLEDs, the beam angle ranging from 110° to 140°, and wherein the housinghas a first closed end and a second open end located opposite to thefirst closed end, the first closed end causing the fluid which haspassed through the inner pipe to flow toward the second open end.
 2. Thesterilizer of claim 1, wherein the light reflecting structure isdisposed between the first and the second UV LEDs along a direction. 3.The sterilizer of claim 1, further comprising a driving element at oneend of the sterilizer positioned to generate a driving force that causesthe fluid to move.
 4. The sterilizer of claim 1, wherein the lightreflecting structure extends from the inner wall of the housing to anexternal of the inner pipe and is located in a space that is between thefirst and the second UV LEDs along a lengthwise direction of thehousing.
 5. The sterilizer of claim 1, wherein the housing includesaluminum or silver and the inner pipe includes quartz.
 6. The sterilizerof claim 1, wherein the inner pipe includes one or more additional innerpipes placed inside the inner pipe.
 7. The sterilizer of claim 6,wherein each of the additional inner pipes has a light transmittingproperty to transmit the UV light from the UV LEDs to enter an interiorof each of the additional inner pipes.
 8. The sterilizer of claim 1,wherein the first UV LED and the second UV LED emit light with awavelength of about 200 nm to 400 nm.
 9. A sterilizer for sterilizing afluid, comprising: a housing having an inner surface that reflectsultraviolet (UV) light; a sterilizing element disposed in the housingand providing an internal space through which a fluid passes; UV lightemitting diodes (LEDs) arranged on the inner surface of the housing andilluminating the internal space of the sterilizing element to sterilizethe fluid, the UV LEDs located in a zigzag pattern on first and secondsides of the sterilizing element that are opposite to each other;wherein a UV LED disposed on the first side of the sterilizing elementis positioned within a beam angle of another UV LED disposed on thesecond side of the sterilizing element, wherein the housing has a firstclosed end and a second open end located opposite to the first closedend, the first closed end causes the fluid which has passed through theinner pipe to flow toward the second open end, and wherein the housinghas a first closed end and a second open end located opposite to thefirst closed end, the first closed end causes the fluid which has passedthrough the inner pipe to flow toward the second open end.
 10. Thesterilizer of claim 9, wherein the sterilizing element includes a lighttransmitting material that allows UV light to transmit through thesterilizing element and sterilize the fluid.
 11. The sterilizer of claim9, further comprising a light reflecting element disposed on the innersurface of the housing to reflect UV light so as to prevent occurrenceof a non-irradiation area of the UV light in the internal space.
 12. Thesterilizer of claim 11, further comprising an additional lightreflecting element disposed on the inner surface of the housing and at alocation between two light emitting structures that are located onopposite sides of the housing.
 13. The sterilizer of claim 9, whereinthe housing and the sterilizing element have a cylindrical shape. 14.The sterilizer of claim 9, wherein the inner surface of the housing iscoated with or includes a metal including aluminum or silver.
 15. Thesterilizer of claim 9, wherein the sterilizing element includes quartz.16. The sterilizer of claim 9, wherein the sterilizing element includesone or more additional sterilizing elements placed inside thesterilizing element.
 17. The sterilizer of claim 16, wherein each of theadditional sterilizing elements has a light transmitting property totransmit the UV light from the UV LEDs to enter an interior of each ofthe additional sterilizing elements.
 18. The sterilizer of claim 9,wherein the UV LEDs emit light with a wavelength of about 200 nm to 400nm.